vicinity

noun

vi·​cin·​i·​ty və-ˈsi-nə-tē 

plural vicinities

1

: a surrounding area or district : neighborhood

2

: neighborhood sense 3b

3

: the quality or state of being near : proximity

Did you know?

Howdy, neighbor! Today we cozy up to vicinity, a word with neighborly origins that was welcomed into English as a French import in the 16th century from Middle French vicinité. It comes ultimately from Latin vicus, meaning "row of houses" or "village," by way of Latin vicinus, meaning "neighboring." Other descendants of vicinus in English include vicinal (a synonym of local) and vicinage, a synonym of vicinity in the sense of "a neighboring or surrounding district." Both of these are formal and rare, but vicinage is notable for giving title to the Vicinage Clause, a segment of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution that entitles an accused person to "an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law."

Synonyms

• backyard
• environs
• neighborhood
• purlieus
• vicinage

Examples of vicinity in a Sentence

there are no hotels in the vicinity of the hospital

the vicinity of the town's only elementary school was one reason why the young couple bought the house

Recent Examples on the Web

Key Background There are five major fires burning in the vicinity of Los Angeles, including the Palisades Fire, which has burned nearly 20,000 acres, and the Eaton Fire, which has burned almost 14,000. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Wildfires: Death Toll Rises To 5; Biden Declares Major Disaster; 1.5M Without Power – Update The statement comes shortly after Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a new brush fire that broke out in the Runyon Canyon vicinity of Hollywood Hills, having since spread to more than 50 acres. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2025

Some of the team's personnel have been affected directly, including wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal, who lives in the vicinity of the Palisades Fire. —Becky Sullivan, NPR, 8 Jan. 2025

The plan was to place the ship over the wreck site and use the pipe string to lower a giant claw that would grab the wreck and then haul it back to the ship, where it would be stowed and returned to land – all without being seen by any prying eyes in the vicinity at any point in the operation. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French vicinité, from Latin vicinitat-, vicinitas, from vicinus neighboring, from vicus row of houses, village; akin to Goth weihs village, Old Church Slavic vĭsĭ, Greek oikos, oikia house

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing vicinity

• in the vicinity of

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Kids Definition

vicinity

noun

vi·​cin·​i·​ty və-ˈsin-ət-ē 

plural vicinities

1

: a surrounding area or district

in the vicinity of her home

2

: an approximate amount, extent, or degree : neighborhood

walks in the vicinity of 20 miles a week